Sighting telescopes, such as those used with or mounted on hunting rifles, are often protected against soiling and damage by lens caps which are positioned over the eyepiece and the lens of the telescope when the latter is not in use. Generally, these caps are cup-shaped, having a front side and an axially-extending skirt portion made from a deformable material, and they are proportioned so that they can be press-fitted over the lens end and eyepiece end, respectively, of the telescope. Accordingly, the two caps have different diameters and are held in place primarily by friction forces. To prevent the individual caps from becoming lost, the two caps are often connected to each other by straps or elastic bands. When elastic bands are used, they are proportioned so that the bands are under tension When the caps are positioned over the respective ends of the telescope, thereby providing additional tension forces for holding the caps in place.
Such lens cap combinations are well-known (e.g., see German Utility Model 76 30 717). In these known protective combinations, the bands are often fastened to the protective caps by means of metal rivets with sharp metal edges. The rivet holes tend to stretch and tear from the tension of extended use, and the metal rivets and their sharp edges pose a threat of injury to the user and to the telescope.
These problems related to the use of metal rivets are solved by the present innovation, which provides a novel construction for interconnecting the lens caps and bands while avoiding the disadvantages of the prior art.